Well now, Oliver's link contains some clues. the moment i saw this topic, "Macallan amber" i thought "Fine oak". Well there it is! Follow Oliver's thread and it's all there in a couple of articles...what many of us already knew or suspected.

I have mentioned at least 3 times on this forum my disappointment, despite all hype, with the 15 YO Fine Oak...and the fact that it cost me nearly 2 Ardbeg 10s!!

Yeah, but...no but...yeah but...two bottles of Ardbeg nice?? More expensive (then!) than the FF Bladnoch 10 nice?? Not in my book lad...but if we ever meet, convert me! Just wouldn't pay for a next bottle on the evidence of the last...

...then again Mr. T , I may well suffer from preconceptions re "Macallan Amber" having been raised on "Macallan Dark!"

...tho' I once had a generous taste of an amber Mac that was unforgettable!

...at an official Macallan tasting in Scotland - it was a 1946. i can still smell it three years on...and it was unsherried and quite peaty. Probably far too sophisticated for your travelling whisky buyer( and expensive at £2500 odd for a bottle.)

Despite the price (25%alc. mind) we had to open this to see if is a threat to the Loch Fyne Liqueur (40% mind).

It's not.

Macallan malt whisky (not much 25%) with pecan nuts and maple syrup. There is too much syrup and not enough Macallan, our Dave added a splash more 10yo and it became very nice, the pecans are subtle and as served the maple is over powering, lacks complexity.

WARNING may contain traces of nuts, definately produced by a company run by nuts.

Despite the price (25%alc. mind) we had to open this to see if is a threat to the Loch Fyne Liqueur (40% mind).

It's not.

Macallan malt whisky (not much 25%) with pecan nuts and maple syrup. There is too much syrup and not enough Macallan, our Dave added a splash more 10yo and it became very nice, the pecans are subtle and as served the maple is over powering, lacks complexity.

WARNING may contain traces of nuts, definately produced by a company run by nuts.

Might be good on your pancakes....

The wobbly looking bottle sure makes it look gooey.... I think that the wet dream of the edrington execs is to diversify the macallan "brand"; a liqueur is only the beginning....
Purists out there should whatch out for Macallan perfume, high priced jams and perhaps fine silk hankies -- to better wipe the tears caused by the unavailability of sherry aged macallan in many markets (amongst other "felonies" commited by the suits at edrington).

"Purists out there should watch out for Macallan perfume, high priced jams and perhaps fine silk hankies -- to better wipe the tears caused by the unavailability of sherry aged macallan in many markets (amongst other "felonies" commited by the suits at edrington). "

It both amuses and irritates me that so much crap can be typed and submitted in response to a post from people who hadn't even heard of the Amber bottling, let alone tasted the stuff. I sure hope Jack wasn't expecting any decent answers, because he's bound to have been disappointed otherwise.

Well, I have tasted it, and I have an opinion on it, so forgive me if I dare to share some actual thoughts:

I reckon it's delicious! It's a beautifully sweet liqueur, and yes, the maple is very much to the foreground in the flavour. It's actually difficult to taste the whisky in the liqueur, but that doesn't mean we should chastise the producers. Their goal is to make a delicious liqueur, not to make a drink that has to taste vaguely of Macallan.

Admiral wrote:...I reckon it's delicious! It's a beautifully sweet liqueur, and yes, the maple is very much to the foreground in the flavour. It's actually difficult to taste the whisky in the liqueur, but that doesn't mean we should chastise the producers. Their goal is to make a delicious liqueur, not to make a drink that has to taste vaguely of Macallan. AD

Admiral:
I concur with you and very much enjoyed it as an alternative to the SMs I generally dram. Having purchased a bottle of Amber this past summer and tasted it, I have been searching for a second one for a buddy in Winterpeg. Yes, there is a strong maple syrup and pecans in the flavour but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It is a rich flavoured liquor and isn't for everyone. I personally loved the Maple notes.

Amber does not pretend to be a SM, it is a sweet liquer. I prefer it neat over Glayva or Drambuie, which are two SM based beverages which I don't recall being criticised in the forums. Regretfully it is probably a one-off Macallan marketing ploy and won't be around as long as the latter. Muskrat

Admiral wrote:God, does anyone here have anything serious to say on the matter?

It both amuses and irritates me that so much crap can be typed and submitted in response to a post from people who hadn't even heard of the Amber bottling, let alone tasted the stuff. I sure hope Jack wasn't expecting any decent answers, because he's bound to have been disappointed otherwise.

Well, I have tasted it, and I have an opinion on it, so forgive me if I dare to share some actual thoughts:....

Had the gentleman been a bit more clear about what it was he wanted to discuss and why, he might have gotten a straight reply sooner rather than later. As it is, he does not seem to have been interested enough in his own topic to return to it for clarification or comment.

And had anyone who actually did understand what he was asking about, and actually had tasted the product, responded to the post when it first appeared two weeks ago, rather than when the thread was fortuitously revived via an irrelevant (but not pointless) jest, we all might be feeling a bit less irritation.

Mr. TH wrote: "Had the gentleman been a bit more clear about what it was he wanted to discuss and why, he might have gotten a straight reply sooner rather than later."

My thoughts entirely. "Discuss!" was all we had to go on, which we did, for better or for worse, serious or flippant. Finally it was clarified with a picture etc...but it still looks like a bottle of perfume!

The Macallan Amber liqueur has been out for a couple years now, so interesting to note this seems to be the first Whisky Mag forum on it...? When it was first introduced I couldn't wait to find a bottle to sample -being huge Macallan fans we expected it to be a brilliant, sinfully delicious digestivo. I actually bought it as a gift for my darling bride thinking she would love it as an occasional alternative from her favourite apres-prandial 18 year old Mac.

Oh, how crushed we were when on tasting we found it to be an undrinkable, cloyingly sweet sticky syrup. Imagine a full bottle of thick maple syrup with an added cup of concentrated pecan oil extract, add 24 large scoops of sugar and finally the tiniest wee splash of diluted Macallan. It is truly astoundingly awful. It is so sweet as to give one a sugar headache trying to finish even one dram of it. I can't even imagine pouring it over pancakes as real maple syrup is far less sweet! Drambuie is downright "dry" by comparison. Ugh! Macallan truly missed the boat on this one - there is very little "Macallan" about it.

Well, if you didn't like it, you didn't like it. I cannot argue with your palate.

However, reading your post, it does strike me that a fairly high percentage of your disappointment may be attributed to the fact that you were expecting something Macallan-like. In your own words, you were anticipating your wife drinking it as an alternative to Macallan 18yo.

I guess people will always be disappointed with their apples if they go out and buy oranges.

Surely putting the Macallan name on it implies some hint of Macallanosity in the product.

Malt Dog, I suggest (if you still have any of the stuff) that you do what Joynson did, and mix in a little more Mac. On the other hand, if you really like your Macallan that much, you probably won't want to waste it.

Thank you Mr. Tattie Heid, you are correct in your astute “Macallanosity” observation and in your earlier posting (Quoth Bold Joynson): “There is too much maple syrup and not enough Macallan...the maple syrup is over powering, lacks complexity.”

In response to the “Admiral” – Yes, of course we were expecting something at least remotely Macallan-like (this was wrong?).

Since it does say Macallan on the bottle with the description “The Macallan Single Malt Whisky Delicately Flavoured with Maple and Pecan,” and marketed by The Macallan (leveraging The Macallan name) as Amber Liqueur by The Macallan, one could get the slight impression there might be something vaguely...oh let's see, maybe…MACALLAN..about it?

Yet, according to the “Admiral” this is a wholly incorrect assessment? I say, Apples and Oranges to you, sir! :>)

I haven’t had the recent opportunity to speak directly with Macallan executives as apparently the Admiral has in sharing with us that “Their goal is to make a delicious liqueur, not to make a drink that has to taste vaguely of Macallan.” All I can say is at least half of such stated goal has been achieved: This drink does not taste vaguely of Macallan.

Posted this prior to enjoying my Christmas break which I left to go on with a bottle of this firmly packed in bag and expecting great things from.

And now I can compare with other drinkers having firmly enjoyed the experience. Complaints about it not tasting enough of Macallan is strange as, although there is a hint of it in the background, if I wanted to taste a Macallan that is what I would buy and not a liquer.

Wonderfully sweet it makes a perfect partner with any dessert (and the bottle also makes for an atractive table ornament as well). Not as herby as other whisky liquers, the Macallan Amber does bring something new to the liquer market which I understand will not be to everyones taste but it was to mine!!

P.S apologies for rather vague original posting but I thought there would have been a few more out there who knew what it was. Oops!

Since it does say Macallan on the bottle with the description “The Macallan Single Malt Whisky Delicately Flavoured with Maple and Pecan,” and marketed by The Macallan (leveraging The Macallan name) as Amber Liqueur by The Macallan, one could get the slight impression there might be something vaguely...oh let's see, maybe…MACALLAN..about it?

Yet, according to the “Admiral” this is a wholly incorrect assessment? I say, Apples and Oranges to you, sir! :>)

Dude....it's a liqueur!!!!

Can you taste Glenfiddich in Glenfiddich Malt Liqueur?

Can you taste the malt whisky in Drambuie? Can you identify which distillery contributes to it?

Can you taste the contributing malt whisky in Glavya?

Baileys Liqueur is made with Irish whiskey. Can you taste (and identify) the contributing distillery?

Drumgray Liqueur is made from Deanston malt whisky, but I'm buggered if I can taste the Deanston in it.

Yet, according to the “Admiral” this is a wholly incorrect assessment?

I never stated or suggested that you'd made a "wholly incorrect assessment" (Mr Picky would probably suggest you meant 'assumption'), merely that such comparisons or expectations were a little misguided or unfair when you consider what the product actually is and purports to be.

Cheers,
AD

P.S. Just about everyone around here has an interesting or even bizarre username. Any reason why you give me the privilege of being referred to as "the" and get quotation marks around my username?

Just tried this for the first time this week, and wasn't disappointed. Perhaps because I had read this thread previously and wasn't expecting much, or to taste the Macallan. Found it to be very smooth, sweet and huge on the maple syrup. Absolutely delicious. But that was just it. One mouth was amazing, but was also enough. Far to sweet for my liking and couldn't be tempted to finish the glass.
Seemed quite expensive as well, at £28 a bottle.

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